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Career and School Info for Massage Therapists in Florida



  School and Career Overview

Massage Therapists photo

 

Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:

Schools Concentrating On Massage Therapists

  • Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Miami Dade College, Broward College, Heritage, and Palm Beach State College.

Fastest Response From Schools

  • Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.

Student Body

  • Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Medvance Institute-West Palm, Medvance Institute-Fort Lauderdale, and Angley.
  • Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Miami Dade College, Broward College, Palm Beach State College, and FSC Jacksonville.
  • Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Medvance Institute-Fort Lauderdale, Rasmusssen, Medvance Institute-West Palm, and Daytona State College.

School Setting

  • Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Rasmusssen, Pensacola Junior College, FSC Jacksonville, and Daytona State College.

Excellence

  • Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Angley.

 

Read Reviews of Schools for This Career and State

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Spotlight Florida Schools Related to This Career

Keiser University Campus

  • Locations: Daytona Beach, Lakeland, Melbourne, Orlando, Port Saint Lucie, West Palm Beach
  • Programs: One relevant program; click the school name for details.
  • Degrees: Associate

Florida Career College

  • Locations: Fort Lauderdale, Hialeah, Hollywood, Miami, West Palm Beach
  • Programs: 2 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
  • Degrees: Associate, Diploma

Sanford-Brown Institute

  • Locations: Jacksonville, Tampa
  • Programs: 2 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
  • Degrees: Diploma

Keiser Career College

  • Locations: Jacksonville, Saint Petersburg
  • Programs: 2 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
  • Degrees: Associate, Certificate, Diploma

Cortiva Institute

  • Locations: Pinellas Park
  • Programs: One relevant program; click the school name for details.
  • Degrees: Certificate

Everest University

  • Locations: Largo, Orlando
  • Programs: One relevant program; click the school name for details.
  • Degrees: Diploma

Florida College of Natural Health

  • Locations: Bradenton, Maitland, Miami, Pompano Beach
  • Programs: 3 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
  • Degrees: Associate, Diploma

Sunstate Academy

  • Locations: Clearwater
  • Programs: One relevant program; click the school name for details.
  • Degrees: Diploma

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Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State

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Everest University • Pompano Beach, FL
Studying Massage Therapy (completion in 2011)

• 5/1/2011

"So far I am happy with Everest, but since I am not finished, I still don't know if I am very satisfied or if my experience will get sour with time. So far so good, though!"

Ratings are on a 1-10 scale

CharacteristicRatingComment
Would Recommend?maybeSo far it has been good for me and I would recommend Everest to other people interested in massage therapy, but only if they can afford it. The program is very pricy. They offer financial aid but not everyone qualifies, and I know not everyone wants to be in debt because of student loans. So if the person has the money, I would recommend it without hesitation.
Program Reputation6I have heard wonderful things about this school and it came highly recommended by friends who are also in the massage therapy program. My school's reputation as far as teachers go is not so good. I do feel like our instructors could be better.
Program Quality9The school has a good program that offers hands on experience in different techniques. This includes non-traditional therapy, which is by far my favorite discipline.
Instruction10The instructors have been helpful with the theory. I find most is learned through hands-on experience and trial and error. The curriculum is pretty well-rounded given how quick the program is. Once I am done with the program, I am sure I will be well prepared to work in the industry.
How Difficult8For me it has been difficult because I never was too interested biology and other sciences. However, in the massage therapy curriculum, there is a lot of learning about the human body. That part has been my biggest challenge so far.
Hands-On vs. BookishTrain for this field requires on hands-on experience and Everest offers just that. Sure, we do a lot book learning for the theoretical aspects and to learn about the human body, but its all mostly driven by hands-on experience.
Schedule Flexibility10I chose this school because of its flexibility and because they offer online programs. It works for me because I can keep a full-time job while I go to school and not get overwhelmed by my schedule.
Academic Facilities8I can only rate the classroom space because I don't really depend on after school help to get through my courses. The classrooms are traditional with enough space to accommodate all of us without feeling cramped.
Social Life5I consider myself to be a loner so I can't really rate this aspect. I have made wonderful friends while at Everest but I spend most of my time working, studying, and practicing massage techniques with family and friends. I don't have much time for parties or any other type of school related activity outside of my classes and practice.
Placement Services10Job placement is amazing. The school promises job placement upon completion and so far the people I know who went there had jobs within months of completing the program. The career services staff is very friendly and is willing to help us find work.
Alumni Network5I chose average because I don't really have a good answer for this question. I don't have enough participation to rate the alumni network and support aspect of my school.

Cortiva • Tampa, FL
Studying Massage Therapy (completion in 2010)

• 5/2/2011

"It was good experience for me overall. I learned what I wanted at the pace I wanted."

Ratings are on a 1-10 scale

CharacteristicRatingComment
Would Recommend?yesSince I was recommended to this school and I liked it, I will do the same for anyone else who's interested.
Program Reputation7I heard about it from friends. A lot of people in my area have mentioned it to me.
Program Quality5it was decent. I expected to learn more about the equipment used on the job, though.
Instruction6The instructors were nice and the material was taught at a good pace.
How Difficult7I noticed I read quite a bit.
Hands-On vs. BookishMessage therapy is a very hands on career in general. We had hands on message sessions once a week.
Schedule Flexibility7It was pretty flexible, in my opinion. The online assignment submission made it more flexible for me.
Academic Facilities6The school had a library. I used it a few times, but not as much as I wanted too.
Social Life4I made a few social acquaintances. But I was too focused on my studies to keep in touch.
Placement Services4I have not received any help from these services since I graduated, but I hear you have to inquire.
Alumni Network6It was good, very supportive. The inline feature also worked well.

Keiser University • Daytona Beach, FL
Studying My Major Was Medical Assisting With Massage Therapy And Phlebotomy As Minors. (completion in 2010)

• 5/2/2011

"I am very satisfied with my schooling."

Ratings are on a 1-10 scale

CharacteristicRatingComment
Would Recommend?yesI have already recommended Keiser to many people I know wanting to further their education.
Program Reputation9Keiser University is pretty reputable in the state of Florida. They have several campuses throughout the state.
Program Quality10I loved the hands on training and the 400 hour externship I had to complete, mainly because it gave me experience in the medical office before I looked for a job.
Instruction10I can not say anything bad about Keiser.
How Difficult9Some classes were harder than others, but I had excellent professors who always took time to explain things so we could understand them.
Hands-On vs. BookishEvery textbook came with a DVD that helped with the learning process.
Schedule Flexibility10Many classes were available online. This was a big help considering I'm a working mom.
Academic Facilities9Our labs were set up just like medical offices, so we had plenty of hands on experience.
Social Life10I have made many life long friends with both fellow students and professors.
Placement Services10They were able to get me hired in the same office in which I did my externship.
Alumni Network5I have not attended any alumni meetings, but I get invitations quarterly.

Everglades University • Sarasota, FL
Studying Alternative Medicine (completion in 2005)

• 7/6/2011

"I loved both schools. I learned a lot from both. It helped me find the next stage in my life."

Ratings are on a 1-10 scale

CharacteristicRatingComment
Would Recommend?yesI tell people about both schools on a regular basis. I think attending both schools made me a better massage therapist, and it made me want to learn more about medicine maybe become a real doctor (acupuncture).
Program Reputation10Sarasota School of Massage has one of the best reputations in the area. I was the first to graduate from the Alternative Medicine class in my campus in 2005, so there isn't much of a reputation built up for that particular program yet.
Program Quality10Sarasota School of massage was thorough in techniques but not in business skills, although I heard this has improved since I graduated. The Alternative Medicine program was mainly overviews of different medicine systems, and it was a good background program.
Instruction9All of my instructors were knowledgeable. I did have instructors in massage school that said I wouldn't be any good because I didn't have super-deep neuromuscular type pressure.
How Difficult2Massage school and the bachelor's was a breeze. It wasn't until I enrolled in a master's program that I actually had to work at learning. Now it's kicking my butt a little bit and I'm not top in my class anymore.
Hands-On vs. BookishSarasota School of Massage was very hands on. The university had a smaller hands on component.
Schedule Flexibility10They both did very well accommodating working adults.
Academic Facilities8The university had a nice library, but counseling was a little lacking. They built the actual campus after I left.
Social Life9Classmates were very supportive.
Placement Services2No help finding jobs from the university, although the massage school always posted jobs on the board.
Alumni Network2I don't stay in touch with any of my massage classmates, and the university doesn't really offer anything at this time.

Educating Hands • Miami, FL
Studying Massage Therapy (completion in 2010)

• 11/22/2011

"The entire experience was more than I could have expected. I almost hated for it to have ended. I attended another massage school several years before, and this one was far superior."

Ratings are on a 1-10 scale

CharacteristicRatingComment
Would Recommend?yesMost definitely, and I have. I have also recommended people go to the student clinic at the discount, because I trust that; even though it's students giving the massage, they have been taught how to give one that won't be mediocre.
Program Reputation9It is my understanding that my school is one of the highest rated in the US. I rated it a "9" because I hadn't heard of the school before, so that's a matter of marketing. When I have mentioned my school in any massage arena, I've heard nothing but good feedback.
Program Quality9Educating Hands not only provided the education, but created an entire experience of personal growth. As far as teaching massage, I feel the school exposed us to a myriad of modalities available, while still maintaining the necessary experience of a proper massage routine.
Instruction8The teachers were not only knowledgeable, but passionate about their craft and area of expertise. I feel that this passion became contagious with the students and encouraged the learning process. The thoroughness of the subject matter was also impressive to me.
How Difficult6Though the subject matter could be intimidating at times, I feel the teachers did all they could to present things in layman's terms while still teaching the terminology. I feel that not leaving it all up to rote memorization was the key factor for making the learning pretty painless.
Hands-On vs. BookishThe main book used at the school was written by the school's founders and another teacher, so we were doing hands-on by the book a good portion of the term. Other books were used for learning and then reference when being taught hands-on, so I can honestly say it was a 50-50 mix.
Schedule Flexibility8There were shadowing evening classes to the day classes, and both day and night had short and long terms. When classes were missed due to illness or emergencies, they could easily be made up, as shadowing classes were staggered by a week or two.
Academic Facilities8The school seemed to have everything available when necessary. An internal bookstore, student clinic and professional clinic made it a pretty complete hub for learning and practicing massage. The teachers were often readily available to help with technique and questions.
Social Life9The spirit of the school was pretty upbeat and positive. Potluck lunches were common, and being downtown allowed us to hang out for lunch, as well as after class. We became like a little family.
Placement Services3Job placement wasn't really offered, though postings of places looking for massage therapists were made available. Also, word of mouth via faculty was pretty common. But except for employment within the school itself, I was not aware of direct job placement assistance.
Alumni Network10Everyone at the school seems passionate about massage and helping the students achieve their greatest potential. We all felt very supported in every way.

Sarasota Community College • Sarasota, FL
Studying Massage Therapy (completion in 2012)

• 12/5/2011

"I was very satisfied with my school. It was awesome."

Ratings are on a 1-10 scale

CharacteristicRatingComment
Would Recommend?yesI would recommend it. I think everyone should go.
Program Reputation7It has a great reputation and I hope it gets even better. I really miss it.
Program Quality5It was a bit hard to grasp, but in the end, I got it.
Instruction6I was very well prepared for my life. I am very happy with my education.
How Difficult6It was a bit difficult to get at first, but now I understand it. It's great.
Hands-On vs. BookishIt was quite hands on and I loved it. It worked out great.
Schedule Flexibility7It was very flexible, which I loved. I was very happy with my schedule.
Academic Facilities7The place was great to learn in. It was like an Italian hall. I loved it.
Social Life7It was a great social experience. I made a lot of friends.
Placement Services7I got great job placement. It was awesome to get a job so quickly.
Alumni Network7I don't really speak to anyone from school. They are great, though.
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